


it takes a village

by theyoungestzerogmechanic



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Fic, F/F, the hundred as a family bc it's what i need
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-15 23:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3466730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyoungestzerogmechanic/pseuds/theyoungestzerogmechanic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke and Raven find a baby in the woods and the rest of the hundred are more excited than they should be. </p>
<p>aka. the princess mechanic accidental baby acquisition fic you didn't know you wanted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it takes a village

“Can you hear that?” Raven asks her, glancing up from where she’s been fiddling with the bits of wire she had tucked away in her pocket before they’d left.

Clarke glances up from the plant she’s been examining and squints at the other girl, “Hear what?”

“I don’t know; I thought I heard someone crying.” Raven shrugs and moves to peer over Clarke’s shoulder, “You find what you’re looking for?”

“No, but it’s getting late so I guess these will have to do for now.” Clarke adds the plants to her bag and cinches it shut. She stands, brushing the dirt on her palms off against her jeans and tugs at the end of Raven’s ponytail. “Ready to go?”

“Please, you know I don’t enjoy spending time out here.” Raven mock scowls at her before laughing and linking their arms together. “C’mon, let’s go back to camp before some wild animals decide we look like a tasty snack.”

“Please, you’re too skinny to make a good meal.” Clarke bumps their shoulders together; jumping down from a log and offering Raven her hand.

Raven lands heavily beside her with an audible thud when a cry rings out, startling several birds out of the nearby trees. 

“Okay, but you heard it that time, right?” Raven looks over at her with her forehead furrowed.

“Yeah, I heard that.” Clarke takes a step towards the noise and then looks back at Raven. “We’re going to go check it out aren’t we?”

“Of course,” Raven agrees, following behind Clarke as she picks her way through the trees. “It sounded like a child.”

“I know, but why would there be a child out here in the woods?” Clarke growls and Raven knows that Clarke doesn’t like not understanding things. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Raven reaches out and squeezes her hand, “We’ll find out soon enough.”

The crying is coming from under a large bush; desperate, wailing cries that made Clarke’s hands clench into fists and Raven holds her breath until her lungs start to burn.

“Is it?” Raven asks her softly and Clarke looks back at Raven over her shoulder.

“It’s a baby,” She confirms, “I think it’s a girl. She’s got quite the set of lungs.” 

Clarke picks up the baby delicately; like she’s afraid she might break her and stands up, turning carefully towards Raven.

“Is she okay?” Raven asks, peering down at the bundle in Clarke’s arms. 

The baby peers back up at her with wide eyes. She stopped screaming almost as soon as Clarke had picked her up and her tiny mouth formed an o shape. 

“She seems fine, but we should get her back to camp so I can give her a proper check-up.” Clarke says, wrapping the ratty blanket more securely around her.

Raven takes the lead now, picking their path back to Camp Jaha carefully. The baby stays quiet and when Raven looks back at them to check on her she sees that Clarke’s gait has soothed her to sleep.

“You’re good with her.” Raven says quietly and Clarke glances up at her and smiles.

“Thanks, I used to help Jackson and my mom deliver the babies on the ark. If there were complications or if the mother was tired I watched the baby until something else was arranged.” She shrugs, careful not to disturb the baby with the motion. 

Neither of them says anything until they’re almost at the gates, making good time back to the camp.

“Why do you think she was left out there?” Raven asks, stopping as she reaches the edge of one of the camps worn paths through the woods and waiting for Clarke to catch up.

“Jaha said they left physically disabled children out to die.” Clarke says, brushing a finger along the baby’s cheek. “But there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong to her, so I don’t know. Maybe something happened to her parents, or maybe they just didn’t want her.” She hefts the baby up in her arms.

“It just seems wrong,” Raven says in a small voice. She knows what it’s like to not have your parent’s love, for them not to want you around. It makes her sad to think that this baby would be forced to go through the same things that she had.

Clarke reaches out and cups her jaw in one hand, smoothing her thumb along Raven’s cheek. Raven huffs out a breath that ruffles Clarke’s hair and smiles weakly at her.

“Let’s go.” Raven says, pulling away from Clarke and starting back along the trail before she can say anything.

As the trio walks through the camp to the medbay they gain a following. Raven laughs at them, falling back slightly to walk between Bellamy and Octavia.

“What happened?” Bellamy asks; voice low and calm like it always was.

The rest of the hundred tagging along after them shut up and look at Raven expectantly. 

“We found her in the woods,” Raven says, “It looks like someone just left her there.”

Octavia makes a low sound in the back of her throat and several of the others mutter obscenities under their breath.

“Who would do something like that?” Harper asks, sandwiched between Miller and Monty as they walk.

“We have no idea.” 

Harpers mouth turns down at the corners and the boys jostle her gently between them until she grins at them, careful not aggravate any of her slow healing injuries.

Raven steps into the medbay, Bellamy and Octavia following her, and the rest of the hundred wait outside. Clarke is standing in one of the cubicles with Jackson as they approach, the baby lying on the bed between them still fast asleep. 

“What’s the diagnosis, Doc?” Raven asks, crowding into the cubicle beside Clarke.

“She seems perfectly healthy,” Jackson tells them, wrapping his stethoscope back around his neck. “There isn’t really anything I can tell you.”

“Lexa’s arriving tomorrow from TonDC; they’ve finally recovered all of the bodies from the wreckage.” Clarke says. Raven knows she still carries what happened in TonDC squarely on her shoulders. “We can ask her about the baby then.” 

The baby picks that moment to open her eyes; her forehead wrinkling as she blinks sleepily for a moment and then she opens her mouth and starts wailing.

Clarke moves first, picking her back up almost automatically and bouncing her gently as she continues to cry.

“Here,” Bellamy steps forwards, grabbing Clarke’s free hand and guiding it so one of her fingers was resting against the babies lip. 

The crying tapers off as the baby sucks Clarke’s finger into her mouth and suckles on it quietly.

“That used to work with Octavia.” Bellamy says, smiling at Octavia and reaching over to ruffle her hair affectionately. “She’s hungry though.” He gestures at the baby.

“What should we do about feeding her?” Raven asks Jackson as Octavia scowls at Bellamy and shoves at his arm.

“Lucille just had her baby; your best bet would be finding her and asking her to express some milk for you.” Jackson tells them, glancing between the baby and their faces. “I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”

“It’s fine.” Bellamy tells him, steering Octavia towards the door as Raven, Clarke and the baby follow behind them.

“Jackson said there’s nothing wrong with her.” Octavia announces as they step out of the medbay and into the dimming sunlight and the rest of the hundred seemed to deflate at the news.

“What are you going to do with her?” Miller asks as Monty crowds closer to Clarke, cooing at the baby in her arms.

“Babysit her until Lexa arrives tomorrow,” Raven replies, “We’re hoping that Lexa will know what to do with her.”

“Fair enough,” Miller says with an easy shrug of his shoulders. 

“Lucille’s room is this way.” Raven says, jerking her head in the direction of the Alpha station wreckage. “I’ll take you.”

“Great,” Clarke smiles at Raven and falls into step beside her. “You don’t have to help with her if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine,” Raven says, and she means it. “I just haven’t been around children much.”

“They’re hard and easy at the same time.” Clarke tells her honestly, stroking the baby’s head. “The trick is to not get too attached.”

~

“We should give her a name.” Octavia announces, joining them at their table they’re gathered around in what was essentially the cafeteria. “Just a temporary one.” She amends when everyone shot her looks.

“I think that Murphy Jr. is an exceptional name.” Murphy says; stripping meat of the bone he’d been given by the cooks.

“She’s a girl,” Fox says, looking up from where she’s been pulling faces at the baby tucked into the curve of her arm. “Also, that would be a terrible name for a child.”

Murphy pulls a face at her which Fox happily returns.

“Definitely not Murphy Jr.” Harper agrees, staring at the baby with a look of concentration on her face.

“Quinn?” Monty offers and the others scrunch up their faces.

“Aspen?” Fox tries and Bellamy shakes his head firmly.

“Bethan?” Octavia pipes up and the others make noises of disagreement, turning back to the baby and staring at her with thoughtful frowns in place.

“Anya.” Miller says finally and they all turn to regard him for a moment.

“Anya,” Clarke says softly, turning each syllable over on her tongue. “I like that.” 

“It’s certainly fitting,” Raven agrees, smiling at Clarke. “I say we go with Anya.”

“It’s not as good a name as Murphy Jr., but I like it.” Murphy says almost fondly.

“I’ll see you guys in the morning,” Fox says, standing up and passing Anya to Raven before picking up her plate and exiting the hall.

“We’re heading to bed, too.” Monty collects their plates and Miller helps Harper up from the bench.

“See you guys tomorrow.” She says cheerfully, stroking a hand over Anya’s head before she leaves.

Slowly their friends retire until it’s just Raven, Clarke and the baby. Raven looks down at the child in her arms and finds Anya regarding her with wide, solemn eyes.

“I guess we should put her to bed.” Raven means it to be a statement, but she can’t help but feel like it comes out as more of a question than she meant it to.

“Sure; I could use a nap as well.” Clarke agrees and Raven hands her Anya before she stands. 

Raven is used to the weight of her left leg now. She can walk almost normally on it with the brace on; knows the feeling she gets when it’s going to be a bad day. But she doesn’t trust herself to walk across camp to their tent holding that baby; doesn’t trust herself not to hurt her. 

Clarke cradles Anya in her left arm and helps Raven up; laughing at the way the baby reaches for the ends of her hair, tugging at them when she manages to grasp them in her pudgy fists.

“Are you doing okay?” Clarke asks as they walk towards their tent and Raven looks over at her and smiles.

“I’m fine, Clarke. There’s no need to worry about me.” Raven says, and it’s the truth.

“You know me,” Clarke says, because she does. “I worry about everything.” That’s also true; Clarke Griffin is a chronic worrier. “Especially you.” 

Raven doesn’t know how to reply for that. Other than Finn, no one has ever really cared about her before. With the hundred she thinks that maybe she’s finally found a home.

Clarke ducks into their shared tent and Raven follows her in. There’s a bottle of milk sitting on the slightly wonky table that Bellamy had made for them and was extremely proud about, and Lucille had told them to come and see her again in the morning.

Raven leaves her boots by the door because Clarke hates it when people track mud across their ground tarp and settles onto her bed. 

The grounders are teaching them how to build proper houses and structures, but it’s a slow and tedious process and so most of the inhabitants of Camp Jaha live in tents or the Ark for the time being. The hundred sleep in a cluster of tents by the south wall where they’re offered the most freedom and on clear nights they can see the stars. The walls of the Ark make most of them uncomfortable now after their time in Mount Weather.

Clarke offers her the baby and the bottle. “You want to feed her?”

“Sure,” She says somewhat hesitantly. Raven hasn’t exactly been around children a lot and honestly, she’s scared she might accidently do something wrong and hurt her.

“You’ll be fine,” Clarke reassures her, positioning Anya and passing Raven the bottle.

Raven trusts Clarke on a lot of things, so she figures she may as well trust her on this.

Clarke pulls on her pyjamas, or at least what passes as pyjamas down here, loose track pants and a singlet and sits down on her own bed opposite Raven’s. 

“You’re doing great.” Clarke praises and Raven glances up from Anya briefly to see Clarke beaming at her. She smiles back and looks back down at Anya.

Raven gives Anya her bottle, Clarke burps her and then rocks her to sleep while Raven watches, sprawled out on her crappy mattress. 

Clarke lies back on her own mattress, baby resting on her chest, and looks over at Raven.

“Good night, Raven.” She says softly.

“Night, Clarke.” Raven sighs tiredly, and the air feels heavy with all the things she wants to say but can’t put into words.

Or maybe she’s just imagining it.

~

Lexa and her caravan arrive early the next morning while the hundred are gathered around their normal table eating toasted bread and choking down bitter coffee.

Bellamy has claimed possession of Anya, and both of them seem content. Clarke thinks that maybe this is something he’s been missing after raising Octavia.

“Lexa’s here.” Jasper says, dropping down between Raven and Monty. “Her caravan just got in and they’re settling in.”

“We’ll drop by after breakfast.” Clarke says, sipping her coffee and trying not to wince at its taste. She’s barely functional in the mornings until she’s streamlined at least three cups of the incredibly strong and equally bitter coffee that the grounders had taught them to make.

The others lounge around in varied stages of alertness, finishing breakfast and chatting idly. It had taken a few months for them to get to this stage; to stop looking over their shoulders or trailing after Clarke or Bellamy like puppies.

Clarke watches as Indigo convinces Bellamy to let her hold Anya and he hands her over carefully, instructing her on how to hold her before sitting back with a satisfied smile on his face. 

Bellamy catches Clarke watching him from across the table and raises and eyebrow, she smiles at him and answers with a shrug. She likes seeing everyone happy.

When Clarke and Raven get up to find Lexa the others stand as well. They mostly stick together these days; they are a family after all.

“We’re here to see the Commander.” Clarke addresses the guards outside Lexa’s tent, Reigner is on duty today and he smiles at her briefly.

“Of course, Commander.” He says, letting them troop into the tent. 

Clarke and Raven enter with the baby and Lexa frowns when she sees them.

“Why do you have a baby?” She asks, approaching them and peering down at the baby who stares right back at her.

“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about, actually.” Raven says. They had buried the hatchet after the war, but Raven definitely wasn’t her biggest fan. “We found her, abandoned, in the woods.”

“She’s physically fine,” Clarke adds, “We checked her over when we got back to camp.”

“Sometimes parents don’t want the baby,” She says, seemingly largely indifferent to the whole matter. It’s the way things are on the ground. “They leave the baby out in the woods and let nature take its course.”

“That’s terrible!” Raven exclaims, the corners of her mouth turning down.

“It’s not entirely ethical, but it is what it is.” Lexa says and Raven thinks that if shrugging was something that Lexa did then that’s what she would be doing right now.

“What should we do with her then?” Clarke asks and the crease between her eyebrows has returned.

“Keep her, find someone else to keep her, or put her back. You found her; she’s your responsibility now.” Lexa tells them seriously. “Good luck.”

Clarke grips Raven’s arm tightly and steers her out of the tent and back to the others waiting outside. Clarke relays Lexa’s message with tight lips and the hundred make noises at appropriate intervals. 

“We’re keeping her though, right?” Monroe says, fiddling with the end of her braid.

“We’ll all pitch in.” Fox adds, “They say it takes a village right?”

“I guess it does,” Raven concedes, turning to look at Clarke expectantly and she groans.

“Fine,” Clarke says, faking reluctance. “But you’re all helping.”

~

Raven is sitting at her workbench trying to boost the distance on their walkie-talkies when Clarke enters the workshop, hoisting herself up onto the bench beside Raven’s head.

“Where’s Anya?” Raven asks when she realizes that Clarke doesn’t have the baby with her.

“She’s with Octavia and Harper being fawned over.” Clarke says with a grin, “I wanted to talk to you, actually.”

Raven sets aside the circuit board she’s been working on and spins to face Clarke.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“This actually,” Clarke says, leaning in and kissing Raven.

One of Clarke’s hands works its way into her messy braid, pulling loose strands of hair, while the other falls to curl around the side of her neck and Raven can feel the warmth of her palm resting against her skin and the way Clarke sucks her bottom lip into her mouth.

“Good talk,” Raven says breathlessly when Clarke pulls away, leaning back on her hands on top of the desk with a satisfied smirk on her face that Raven is pretty sure she learnt from Bellamy.

“Raven Reyes,” Clarke says, oddly formal considering everything they’ve been through. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Well,” Raven begins, pretending to consider the offer. “I guess so. I mean, we already have a child together.”

Clarke laughs at that; the sound is loud and happy and it makes Raven smile.

**Author's Note:**

> come chat with me on tumblr at [theyoungestzerogmechanic.tumblr.com](http://theyoungestzerogmechanic.tumblr.com).


End file.
